Coal saver



u, S..KIRBY c0 11; SJAVER v Filed 0st. 10. 1924 July 28, 1925.

INVENTOR Patented July 28, 1925.

UNITED sures mm s. 313336, or sritvis, ILLriioIs.

' COAL snviait.

Application filed October 10, 1924. Serial No. 742,891.

vision of simple means for preventing the escape and consequent loss of coal from tenders for locomotives.

In carrying out my invention, I propose to hingedly support at the front end of a locomotive tender, wings which normally contact with the apron that provides the platform between a locomotive and its ten-- der, the said wings being mounted to accommodate themselves to any movement of the apron and serve as means for prevent ing the escape of coal either when the door of the coal compartment of the tender is open or closed.

To attainment of the foregoing and other objects which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, reference is to be had to the drawings which accompany and which form part of this ap plication.

, In the drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the locomotive and its tender to illustrate the application of the improvement.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the wings and the mount therefor.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the front platform of a locomotive, 2 the tender therefor, and 3 the apron that bridges the gap between the locomotive and its tender.

The tender 2 is provided at its sides, in the usual manner, with water compartments 4 and between said compartments with a coal compartment 5. The compartment 5 is normally closed by a slidable door 6 which, of course, is opened when access to the coal in the said compartment is desired.

A great quantity of coal has been lost, especially after the door 6 has been opened and the coal from the compartment 5 has been admitted on to the front platform of the tender. tion to prevent such losses. In carrying out my invention, I screw into the front platform of the tender, approximately in a line It is the object of this invenwith the center of the water tanks 4, posts 7. Hingedly secured to each of the posts 7, there is a plate which, for convenience, I shall term a wing. Each wing 8 is hingedly connected, as at 9, to the post 7, adjacent tothe top thereof and is likewise hinged, as at 10, to the side post adjacent to the bottom thereof. The hinge 10 is in the nature of a spring member, having one of its ends rigidly secured to the wing and its opposed and rounded end secured to the post. Of course, other spring hinges may be employed, it being the purpose of the spring hinges to force the wings into con tact with the edge of the apron 3 arranged on the platform of the tender 2. In rounding curves, the apron is subjected to movement, and hence the additional necessity of the said spring hinges- The wings when in the position disclosed in Figure l of thedrawings, will prevent wastage of coal between the water tanks and the sides or front of'the tender.

The posts 7 may be secured in a different manner from that above described, and the wings 8 necessarily differ in sizes to accord with difierent sizes of locomotives.

It is thought that the foregoing description, when taken in connection with the drawings, will fully set forth my improvement and' the advantages thereof.

Having described the invention I claim:

1. In combination with a locomotive, a tender therefor and an apron bridging the platforms. betweenthe locomotive and the tender, of pivotally supported wings disposed each adjacent to the center of the water tanks at the sides of the tender, and movable into frictional contact with the edge of the apron resting on the tender.

2. In combination with -a locomotive, a tender therefor provided with water tanks adjacent to its sides and a door controlled coal compartment between the tanks, and an apron bridging the locomotive and tender platforms, of a post secured on the tender platform approximately centrally at the end of each of the water compartments, a flat wing hingedly secured to the post and designed for contacting engagment with the edge of the apron, and spring means influencing the wings to such contact. v

3. In combination with a locomotive, a tender therefor provided with water tanks adjacentgto its sides and a door controlled coal compartment between the tanks, and

an apron bridging the locomotive and tender platforms, of a post secured on the tender platform approximately centrally of the front of each of the water compart ments, a flat wing loosely hinged to the top of each post and having a spring hinge adjacent to the bottom thereof connected ULVA S. KIRBY. 

